Texas wildfires live updates: 2 dead in largest blaze in state history (2024)

Second death confirmed

The Magenta Fire in Oldham County — which is covering an estimated 3,300 acres — is now 85% contained, according to an update from the Texas A&M Forest Service.

"Firefighters continue to patrol and mop up across the fire area, checking for heat near containment lines," the forest service said. "Dozer crews are widening and improving these lines."

A team from the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine, including veterinary faculty and third year vet students, will support the Veterinary Emergency Team during the wildfires that continue to rage in Texas.

In a statement, the school said, "our faculty and students will help assess and provide the necessary veterinary needs of those affected communities."

The team will work to care for injured animals or animals that are becoming sick from the wildfires as needed. The school will also provide veterinary and general supplies such as water, non-perishables, and small and large animal supplies to those affected, the school said.

Two firefighters from Pampa, Texas, were injured while fighting the wildfires Monday, city spokesperson Dustin Miller said.

Both of the firefighters were taken to Pampa Regional Medical and then transferred to Lubbock, according to Miller. They were released Tuesday morning and are still recovering from injuries.

Biden discussed the wildfires during his visit to Brownsville, Texas, expressing gratitude for first responders “risking their lives to save others” and urging people to “listen to the warnings from the local officials.”

The president noted that 500 federal personnel were working on fire suppression.

He also jabbed at people who do not believe in climate change.

“The idea that there’s no such thing as climate change … I love that, man,” he said sarcastically. “I love some of my Neanderthal friends who still think there’s no climate change.”

Jason Wilhelm, a homeowner in Canadian, Texas, spoke out after the wildfire destroyed his house. Wilhelm said the fire is “devastating for the community.”

The Windy Deuce Fire in Moore County, Texas, is 50% contained as of Thursday afternoon, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

The fire, which was 30%contained this morning, burned around 142,000 acres. Evacuations are still in place for the area. Firefighters will continue monitoring the wildfire and checking for heat near containment lines.

The deadly wildfires in Texas, the largest in the state’s history and which are now spreading into Oklahoma, cover an area nearly the size of Delaware’s land. The most massive of the blazes, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, is larger than Rhode Island.

But how big is that really?

To get a sense of the scale of the Smokehouse Creek Fire’s million-plus acres, use the map in the link below to compare the blaze to any of the most-populous cities or towns in the U.S.

Read the full story here.

As strong winds and dry grass increase the potential for wildfires in the Plains region over the weekend, Texans are advised to use “extreme caution” when partaking in outdoor celebrations that may cause a spark.

That includes fireworks celebrating Texas Independence Day on Saturday. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is by attending a public show hosted by professionals, according to a Texas A&M Forest Service news release.

When setting off personal fireworks, Texans should check for local government burn bans and other restrictions. Only use fireworks in safe areas away from dry grass and bushes, and keep a bucket of water handy.

For those planning to host a barbecue over the weekend, avoid placing the grill near any flammable vegetation or material, and never leave it unattended.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, about 90% of wildfires are caused by human-related activities, and holidays pose an increased risk of fire starts.

The Texas A&M Forest Service released a map showing all the wildfire activity from across the state in the past seven days. The 140 blazes have burned a combined 1,260,725 acres.

The Texas A&M Forest Service is working to contain four major active wildfires this morning across the Texas Panhandle that have burned an estimated 1.2 million acres in total.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire is still only 3% contained. The active 687 Reamer Fire has burned into the Smokehouse Fire and is now included in the 1,075,000 acres attributed to the blaze.

The Windy Deuce Fire spread to approximately 142,000 acres and is 30% contained. The Grape Vine Creek Fire has burned around 30,000 acres and is 60% contained, while the Magenta Fire covers 2,500 acres and is 65% contained.

With cooler temperatures and calmer winds today, fire activity will “not be as resistant to suppression efforts” compared to Monday and Tuesday, according to the forest service.

Video from Fitch, Texas, shows snow falling in an area affected by the ongoing Smokehouse Creek Fire.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County is officially the largest fire in Texas history, now covering an estimated 1,075,000 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

The fire, only 3% contained as of this morning, earned the title of second-largest in state history after an update yesterday revealed it was already covering 850,000 acres of land.

The East Amarillo Complex Fire in 2006, which clocked in at 907,245 acres, previously held the title of largest fire in Texas history.

Fire crews are working hard today to combat the enormous wildfire at Smokehouse Creek, before heightened winds tomorrow and into the weekend threatened to make their jobs much harder, the local forest service has said.

“Fire crews are really taking that into consideration, we really want to take advantage of the weather that we have," Juan Rodriguez, public information officer of Texas A&M Forest Service, told NBC News this morning.

He continued: “So, as of today, crews are going to be working on the southern part of the fires. We’re trying to get a lot of those fire edges really buttoned up today.”

The forest service's forecast puts the risk for the Panhandle at "very high" tomorrow, from its current "high" rating.

Charred vehicles sit at an auto body shop after the property was burned by the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Canadian, Texas, yesterday.

These rare winter wildfires come as Texas prepares for an unlikely weather event: historic wildfires met with rain and snow.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo said early today that snow or rain, or a mixture of the two, was due to hit the southwestern Texas Panhandle between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. local time.

A prediction map from NWS show that snow could fall on the Windy Deuce fire north of Amarillo, which covers more than 140,000 acres and is only 30% contained.

Only half an inch of snow is expected, although the NWS said this could rise to a full inch.

FRITCH, Texas. — The small town of Fritch is again picking throughthe rubble of a Texas wildfire, a decade after another destructive blaze burned hundreds of homes and left deep scars in the Panhandle community.

Residents in and around Fritch and other rural towns fled for safety Tuesday afternoon as high windswhipped the flames into residential areasand through cattle ranches.

Fritch Mayor Tom Ray said on Wednesday the town’s northern edge was hit by a devastating wildfire in 2014, while this week’s blaze burned mostly to the south of the town, sparing the residents who live in the heart of the community.

Drone video, captured about 90 miles northeast of Amarillo, showed a scorched area bordered by two of the Texas wildfires.

First responders have been deployed in Oklahoma as wildfires spread throughout the state, having moved east from the Texas Panhandle.

As of last night, at least 12 fires were burning, covering more than 115,000 acres in Oklahoma, including a fire at Slapout in Beaver County, which covered an estimated 76,800 acres and was zero percent contained.

"On the heels of an impactful wildfire, we are preparing for another round of significant fire weather over dry, heavily loaded fuelscapes," the Oklahoma Forestry Commission said in an update.

Gov. Kevin Stitt said yesterday that emergency response teams in the state had been activated.

Charred tree trunks pictured after the Smokehouse Creek Fire moved through Canadian, Texas, yesterday.

Video posted on social media showed burning and blackened buildings in the Texas town of Canadian, at the forefront of the deadly wildfires.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has said people affected by the wildfires raging through the Texas Panhandle need to be ready to move if necessary.

Posting on X late yesterday, he said: "The fires in the Texas Panhandle are raging ferociously. My team in the state is continuously monitoring the ongoing situation closely."

He added: "We need those who are impacted to listen to your local officials’ warnings and be prepared to move out of harms way."

Well-wishers from Texas and beyond are being urged to donate money and practical items to help people affected by the Texas wildfires, particularly farmers and ranchers in the panhandle.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension said in a Facebook post last night that anyone could donate money to funds run by the Amarillo National Bank and the Hutchinson County United Way Relief Fund.

The Red Cross, which is running a shelter at the Dome Civic and Convention Center in Borger, is asking for essentials such as water, diapers, wet wipes and nonperishable food — but not clothing or furniture.

The Volunteer Fire Department in Stinnett has asked for the same, while a livestock supply point was due to be set up in Pampa with a request for wire, cedar posts, hay, feed and portable diesel.

"Thank you for your love and concern for the residents of Hutchinson County and all the Texas Panhandle towns as we begin to wrap our heads around this disaster," the A&M AgriLife Extension said.

This satellite color infrared image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an active fire line and burn scars from the Smokehouse Creek wildfire northwest of Miami, Texas, yesterday.

Burned vegetation appears in shades of black/gray and healthy, not burned, vegetation appears in shades of red/pink. A cluster of wildfires is scorching the Texas Panhandle, including a blaze that grew into one of the largest in state history.

An area covering more than 1,500 square miles, more than 1 million acres, was burning across the state of Texas as of 3.30 a.m. ET, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

At least 23 fires were burning — the biggest of them, at Smokehouse Creek, covers more than 850,000 acres and is only 3% contained.

Several smaller fires, many of them in the western part of the state with some covering just 1 acre, have been put out.

A Texas couple talks to NBC News’ Tom Llamas about the impact of the wildfire burning across the panhandle. Video provided by the couple shows flames from the fire near the motel they own.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo says the region faces a forecast that will likely cause “critical fire weather conditions again.”

Highs will get into the high-70s starting tomorrow, but on Saturday and Sunday high winds of 20 mph to 35 mph are forecast. Heat and high winds help fuel wildfires like those seen in the Texas Panhandle, which are ongoing.

Today, there is a chance of a wintry mix for some of the areas in the panhandle impacted by the fires, the weather service said.